Tornado watch issued for South Jersey

A tornado watch for parts of South Jersey has been issued by the National Weather Service.

A strong cold front is charging up the I-95 corridor from Washington, D.C., today, bringing a line of showers and storms, said meteorologist Mike Gorse.

The watch has been issued until 8 p.m. for the southernmost parts of Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem Counties.

Gorse said the watch was in effect because of strong winds aloft.

"There'll be some change in the wind direction as you go from the surface upward," Gorse said. "And that can lead to the spinning motion that creates a tornado."

The severe weather is expected to skirt the Philadelphia metropolitan area, though there is a chance that some areas might get isolated thunderstorms. There may be some brief heavy downpours but the weather service is not expecting any flooding, Gorse said.

Temperatures are expected to drop from a high of about 77 to the 60s on Friday after the front passes through. Weather for the Halloween weekend is expected be clear or partly cloudy with highs in the upper 50s.